JASMINE & HER FAMILY
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AUGUST 6th 4:30am: Much to our surprise, Jasmine started whelping her puppies very early this morning...
UPDATE 8/6 8:50am: By the time Jasmine's foster mom (one of our senior staff members) was ready to leave on a transport to bring in Sarge, Samantha, Wolfy and Koda, Jasmine had had 7 puppies, and was exhausted and taking a break. Our staff member's daughter, who had been up all night with Jasmine and who is very experienced in whelping puppies, agreed to remain home and keep an eye on things. UPDATE 8/6 3:00pm: When our staff member returned from the transport, Jasmine still had seven puppies, and was resting comfortably. Since 7 was the number of puppies seen on the xrays taken on the 28th, we were hopeful that Jasmine had finished whelping her family. Several hours later, Jasmine started to have contractions again, but try as she might...no puppy. Our staff member could feel that there was still perhaps another puppy in Jasmine, but by 10pm no puppy had appeared. A quick call to our partner, Steff for the address of the nearest emergency clinic, and we were on our way to the NV Regional Emergency Vet Clinic where Jasmine was xrayed and THREE more puppies were seen! A treatment plan was discussed (including an emergency C-section) with the vet, and we set things into motion. Jasmine was given some medication...and we waited...and waited. After what seemed like an eternity, Jasmine delivered a stillborn puppy. He had been wedged in like a cork in a bottle and, according to the vet, there was no way that Jasmine could have delivered him in her condition (whelping her second litter in 5 months [no telling how many she's had previously] and having spent the entire day giving birth to the first 7).
We had gone home and brought Jasmine's puppies to her at the emergency vet's office, and she was resting comfortably with them when, finally, a second puppy followed; but he, too, was stillborn. When a third puppy followed after what seemed like hours, we held out little hope that, after all this time, he could be alive. The vet immediately took the puppy from Jasmine, and we turned our attention to her and her family of 7, much relieved that we (and Jasmine) had averted disaster. After several minutes, the vet came into the room and asked if we wanted to see the last puppy, we declined, thinking he, too, was surely stillborn. But when the vet said, "But he's alive," we were ecstatic...
The last puppy struggled to breathe, and the vet and techs did everything they could to clear the fluid from his lungs and enable him to breathe. Jasmine waited anxiously in the next room with the remainder of her puppies, but once she heard her newest puppy start to squeal, she insisted that he be given to her. Since he had been born with a green tinge to his coat, we named the tiny survivor Kermit. It definitely ain't easy being green.
After Jasmine and Kermit were given some time to bond, Jasmine was discharged from the emergency clinic at approximately 2:30 a.m. It's been a VERY long day for everyone. Kermit is still not out of the woods and he will need to be monitored carefully, but Jasmine seems to be none-the-worse for her ordeal. We shudder to think what might have happened to her if she were still with the people who dumped her...would they have sought care for her? We think not. And that would have meant disaster for Jasmine and her entire family. We take great comfort in knowing that Jasmine was brought to us for a reason, and we will provide her and her family with whatever they need. They can count on us.
Our profound thanks to Dr. Staci Brigham and the staff at NV Regional Emergeny Clinic for their professionalism, compassion and care of Jasmine and her babies. UPDATE 8/7: After a rough night, we were overjoyed to find all eight puppies nursing contentedly this morning. Mom Jasmine is doing beautifully and seems none the worse for wear after last night's ordeal. She's an excellent mama and is making sure that all of her puppies are well fed and taken care of.
UPDATE 8/11: Jasmine and her new family continue to do well. She has regained her happy attitude and is taking motherhood in stride, caring very carefully for her tiny babies. Jasmine has been reactive to the housecat walking past her puppy room to the point where her foster mom has had to block her view of the hallway. In a surprise meeting today between Jazz and the cat, she stopped dead in her tracks, and when told to "leave it," turned and walked away! I'm sure she didn't quite know what to do with the large, hissing ball of fur under her nose. UPDATE 8/14: Eight days old and growing like weeds.
UPDATE 8/23: We have noticed Kermit and 2 of the other puppies clearing their throats more often and more loudly than we would like, so we took Kermit in for his first checkup at Dynamite Creek today.
Dr. H thought that Kermit's breathing was a little "rattley," but thankfully it seemed confined to the throat and not the lungs. Kermit and his 2 sisters were put on antibiotics for the next couple of weeks. THREE WEEKS & 2 DAYS OLD - KERMIT IS STILL GREEN...BUT FADING!
UPDATE 9/2: THE PUPPIES ARE 4 WEEKS OLD! We still have some "sniffles" in 2 of the pups (Kermit and the original 2 are doing fine), and they have now been put on antibiotics. It has not slowed them down any, that's for sure! They are beginning to play and wrestle with each other.
UPDATE 9/9: Jasmine took her family on their first outing into the yard today.
 Time to go inside
Jasmine will be scheduled for her spay surgery in the next few weeks and will be available for adoption after a short recovery period. This is definitely her last litter. UPDATE 9/13: It rained this evening and what did the puppies do? Why, what all kids do ...go out and play in the rain!!
UPDATE 9/16: The puppies are now 6 weeks old and we are going to begin doing home visits and then introductions with the puppies. UPDATE 9/18: The puppies received their first immunizations today; they all did very well. Home visits are scheduled for this week, and introductions with the puppies will begin the week of September 26th.
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JASMINE PUPPY FAMILIES
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